


Knowledge at Knight

by KI3T



Category: Knight Rider (2008)
Genre: Aromantic Michael Knight, Discussion of Aromanticism, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:21:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26940580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KI3T/pseuds/KI3T
Summary: A bad storm has taken Mike and KITT off the road, and KITT wants to keep Mike's mind off the danger. The resulting conversation might answer a question Mike didn't even know he had.
Relationships: KITT & Michael Knight
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	Knowledge at Knight

**Author's Note:**

> Aromantic allosexual Mike is a headcanon that popped into my head while re-watching Knight Rider 2008, so I decided to write this fic.
> 
> I'm aromantic asexual myself, so although I tried hard to write this fic carefully, it isn't fully based on my own experience. If you see any issues with the representation that should be changed, feel free to send me a note.
> 
> Content warning: the characters are in danger of falling off a cliff, although they make it to safety.

A flash of lighting brought the scene into sharp relief: a car hanging off the side of a sheer cliff by its grappling hook, water sheeting down its sides and away into the abyss below. The sky darkened again in the wake of the lightning and thunder rolled almost immediately, at this proximity almost painfully loud. The car's red scanner light pulsed, a steady rhythm in the chaos of the storm.

"Michael," the car's voice was a soothing, if perhaps impatient rumble, "I must remind you, please do not move."

Mike, who had been craning his neck to try to spot where the lightning had struck, forced himself to slowly, cautiously, lean back in his seat again. "Right. Sorry, it just sounded so close by and I forgot."

"I understand," KITT said placidly. "You are human after all, your urge is to understand potential threats so that your fight-flight-freeze reflexes can correctly engage. Still, with my grappling hook latched onto such unstable ground, any small change in motion could cause the ground to give way, causing us to fall to our deaths."

"Right." Mike closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "And you're sure the wind gusts aren't going to shake us loose?"

"There is no guarantee that they will not. Still, calculating by the current velocity and direction of the wind gusts, and by current weather forecasts from several reputable sources, the odds of the wind shaking us loose are lower than the odds of you shaking us loose in the time it will take me to reach the ground."

Mike grinned, although there was no joy in the expression. "Got it. Thanks, KITT."

"You are welcome, Michael."

"You really think you can get us to the ground safely?"

"By extending my grapple line very gradually until we reach the bottom of the cliff, we have reasonable odds of surviving this."

"Great." Mike shuddered. "God, I hate waiting. What are the odds, exactly?"

"The odds are reasonable," KITT said.

"That's not an answer. And since you're normally happy to give me an exact number, I'm guessing that means our odds are bad."

A pause, then almost reluctantly KITT responded. "Yes, Michael. Your guess is correct."

Lightning and thunder; Mike forced himself not to move an inch.

KITT remained silent for several long moments. "Michael, I have a question."

"Yeah?" 

"You and Sarah both used to be attracted to each other, and she wished to date you, but you never wished to date her again. May I ask you why that was the case?"

"Are you trying to distract me from our imminent death?" Mike asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes," KITT said with no hint of shame. "Will you answer my question?"

Mike took a deep breath, then nodded. "Sure. We're probably gonna die, so why not. Honestly though? I don't know why."

"I am confused," KITT said. "You didn't date Sarah for no reason?"

"Well, no reason I understand, anyway," Mike said. He started to shake his head, then thought the better of it and went still again. "She's brilliant, and funny, and beautiful, there's absolutely no reason why I shouldn't be completely in love with her. And don't get me wrong, I do love her, she's one of my best friends I've ever had. But romance? It doesn't work for me, it's never worked any of the times I've tried. It never feels right."

"I see," KITT considered Mike's words, with the thoroughness that only an artificial intelligence or a scholar could have. 

Another flash of lightning and a roar of thunder. Mike twitched, but restrained the urge to move or even look.

"You think it is not just Sarah you cannot be romantic with?" KITT asked.

"Yeah..." Mike thought back over years of brief relationships, remembering how he had felt uncomfortable with the romantic gestures and type of closeness that many of his partners had desired. "It's never felt right, not with any gender. I just can't seem to want the romantic experience that lots of people seem to want. I mean," he looked awkward, he still wasn't entirely used to discussing sex with KITT, "I like sex. And I get sexually attracted to people. But that doesn't mean I want romance too."

"I do not think I can fully understand, but I think I can relate to some degree. I do not believe I would desire romance either, to me friendship and family seem much more appealing," KITT said.

Mike smiled. "I guess we have that in common then."

"Yes. I have just finished searching the web for people who don't experience romance," KITT said suddenly. "Have you heard the term 'aromantic' before?"

"No?" Mike looked puzzled. 

"An aromantic person, according to many of my sources, is a person who experiences little or no romantic attraction to people of any gender. Some aromantics experience sexual attraction to one or multiple genders, while others do not experience sexual attraction to any gender. I think, perhaps, that this word could describe your experience?"

"I mean... yeah." Mike blinked. "That's a thing? There are people who don't need romance?"

"Yes Michael, there are more than two of us." Maybe there was something pleased in KITT's tone. "Aros, as they sometimes call themselves, have a significant presence on the internet. I believe there must be many in the world, far more than those who can be found online."

The grappling hook cable made a groaning noise; a gust of wind had made KITT swing unnervingly back and forth.

"Interestingly," KITT added, maintaining the soothing flow of conversation, "Some aros do enjoy romantic relationships despite not experiencing romantic attraction. And other aros have queerplatonic relationships, which seem at first glance to be similar to friendship, but are much more committed. And others are prefer to remain single. The human experience is a complex and beautiful thing."

"That is pretty cool," Mike agreed. If KITT was going to pretend to not notice the way he was swinging back and forth, Mike was going to pretend too. Even if the pounding of his heart must give the truth away to KITT's sensors.

"It is not my place to speculate on the precise nature of your identity," KITT added, "Online sources have told me that it is rude to do so. So I wished to inform you of some of the possibilities, so that you can use the information if you see fit."

Mike thought of the things he had been told over the years, by people who quietly or vocally disapproved of his relationship choices. "You're sure being this way doesn't make me just a jerk who can't make up his mind and settle down?"

"I don't think it does, Michael. Many people choose not to settle down with someone, for many reasons, and it does not make them bad people."

"I guess so. It just seems like everyone expects everyone to date and then get married. People who don't tend to get a bad reputation, like they're selfish or just using other people."

KITT paused, then spoke after some consideration. "Then perhaps it is society that needs to change. If you make it clear to you partners that you seek sex and not a romance, then I see no reason why that isn't acceptable. If that is what both partners want, then nobody is being hurt by it, and it would be foolish for others to pass judgment upon their actions. And similarly, to have a preference for friendship should never be a bad thing."

The grappling hook cable groaned under the strain as KITT let out another precarious inch of cable. Mike's hands tightened, knuckles paling as he remembered his fear.

"You do not need to fit society's expectations if you do not wish to do so, Michael," KITT said unflappably.

"I guess I don't," Mike agreed.

There was a soft jolt through the car, so gentle Mike nearly missed it.

"We have landed," KITT said.

There was a heavier thud as he released the grapple, and his front tires hit the ground; then after a delay the clang of the grapple slamming into his hood, the flash of the nanobots at work as they repaired the damage to his skin, the whir of the cable retracting back into KITT's chassis. 

Mike sagged forward, resting his forehead against the steering wheel. "Oh my God."

"It is all right," KITT told him. "Next time we are in pursuit, we will simply _not_ attempt to pass a reckless driver on a wet road during a thunderstorm after a hailstorm in the mountains."

Mike laughed weakly. "When you put it that way, I don't know why we ever thought it was a good idea."

"Well, it would have allowed us to apprehend our target, had we successfully completed the maneuver."

"Yeah, but we have their information. We can track them down." Mike sat back again with a sigh. "But first, to get out of the woods."

KITT's skin bent and warped, reshaping to form the body of a F-150 truck, and he plunged forward into the muddy, windswept darkness. "As we always do, I am sure we will manage."

"Thanks for helping me to figure things out, by the way," Mike added, watching the leaves and branches illuminate in the glare KITT's headlights as the truck forged onward. "I think you might be right, I might be aromantic. I'm going to need to do some thinking about what it means for me, but I'm glad I know it exists now."

"Of course, Michael. After all, that is what friends are for."

Mike nodded. "I'm glad we're friends," he agreed. "And... thanks for distracting me back there. I knew you had it under control, but I'm not good in situations like that."

"Any time."

As they traveled onward, the flashes of lightning grew dimmer, and the roar of thunder faded into the distance. The night continued on, now cool and calm and sprinkled with stars.

KITT burst from the forest onto the road, and set off in pursuit.


End file.
